January 31

March 22

March 21

March 20

Indie Nation Radio

They say (and I have no clue who "they" is) that the third time is a charm. Well, I'm not sure about the charm, but what I can tell you is that I've chosen to avoid my radio guy voice today — just for you. That's just my way of charming the pants off you.

Why three? Well, if for some sick twisted reason, you haven't been keeping up with our daily journal, today is the third logo in the same amount of days for the man we've been referring to as the radio romeo. His actual name is Paul Saunders and he has a butt-load of followers on Twitter. He's like the Aston Kutcher of internet radio (minus Demi Moore).

We first brought you 977 Media, which specializes in internet radio solutions for folks like you and me. Next we brought you Stream Realm, which provides reliable and affordable streaming solutions to improve your poopy stream that costs too much. And finally, we bring you Indie Nation Radio.

Now this one is special. This is a big-ass network of online radio stations, focused in on specific genres and locations. When it's up and running, there will be up to 300 different cities and more than 15 different genres. All indie-style baby and all free. It's about the music, not the money. Put that in your pipe and smoke it Clear Channel. Damn the man.

We the people, demand a billboard top 100 that's not created by record executives up in their ivory towers (which look really nice by the way), but one that's created by the people listening to the music. We won't be spoon fed Justin Timberlake music anymore. We're going to unite in wearing earplugs every time Lady Ga Ga says poker face. We won't be ignored. Power to Indie Nation.

Sorry. Sometimes I get to be a bit much. Look, enjoy the logo, hang out with Paul on Twitter and keep coming back for logo fun.

I'm going to go make a couple of prank calls to my local radio stations to release some of this tension.

Feel the music.

Stream Realm

(Return of hyper radio-guy voice) Welcome back to the program folks. You were just tuned into the sweet style of Paul Saunders and his company 977 Media on the only station that brings you logos all day, every day — p-p-p-power internet radio I.D.Y.L. If you liked that, you're going to looooove this. Quickly climbing its way to the top of the charts is another stylistic original from the internet radio romeo ... it's Paul Saunders, with Stream Realm.

(Normal voice returns) Well, you would have thought that I had learned my lesson yesterday. Apologizing profusely for my lameness. But, no — I just went ahead and did whatever the hell I wanted, didn't I? Shame on me. After this year of logos is over, I promise I'm going to see someone about my tendency to spew useless jargon.

But, before I do that, we have another branch of 977 Media to discuss. This one is called, Stream Realm.

Let's pretend that you are a great internet radio mind. You already have your online station built, you've got virtual fans throwing their digital bras and panties at you and you've got the ultimate face for radio (ok, just kidding, that was mean). What's next? Well, your streaming sucks and you're paying to much.

You see, that's where Stream Realm comes in. Paul Saunders and his team offer reliable streaming at an affordable price to people just like the pretend you.

In designing this identity, we wanted the message to be internet radio first, speed second. We brought those things together with a stylized font and graphic that everyone can relate to.

Go on over to streamrealm.net and tell him how much the guys over at IDYL want to give him a big smooch for buying three consecutive days. After that, either start your station or upgrade your streaming. You owe it to your listeners.

Dana -gerous is out (that's my new radio handle)

977 Media

(Insert hyper radio-guy voice) Happy hump day internet, this is D to the ANA come at you live on the station that brings you logos all day, every day — p-p-p-power internet radio I.D.Y.L. We're bringing you a commercial free set of logos next  ... so, turn your screen brightness up and get ready for 977 Media on I.D.Y.L.

You might be wondering why in the world I would subject you to that. It's a valid question. Because I'm borderline nutty? Sort of. Or, because I want to show you the things that go through my mind, that may be consider by most to be disturbing? Yeah, we're getting closer. Maybe it's a cry for help? I dunno.

Alright, the truth is that I was practicing my internet radio speak for the recipient of today's logo — 977 Media. You see, they're a full-service media company that specializes in providing internet radio solutions to companies like you and me (and a few other specialized niches). In other words, they're here to make you a star and help you become part of the social broadcasting revolution. Those were Paul's words and I dig 'em. I might have said something like, 977 Media killed the terrestrial radio star.

Again, I'm sorry for doing that. I'm really not sure what's wrong with me.

Paul and his team turned to — I.D.Y.L, the station that brings you logos all day, every day — to come up with an identity that communicated their line of business in a professional, yet fun, way. We gave it our all and came up with a concept that did just that.

Now it's time for you to shine my children. You're ready to spread your wings and fly. Flap those wings over to 977media.com and get the skinny on what it's going to take to make you into the next Ryan Seacrest or Casey Kasem. The internet is waiting for you.

D to the ANA out (A little Seacrest vibe there)

Alive Marin

I live in the Midwest, Minnesota to be exact. Tony lives in Chicago and Jason lives in Jacksonville. Of the three of us, I think I was screwed the worst. Yeah, I know ... it's beautiful, right? Maybe. But only for one week a year. The rest of the year is filled with sub-zero temperatures, god-awful humidity, endless road construction, colonies of mosquitoes and sub-zero temperatures. Yes, I know that I repeated myself there, it needed the extra emphasis.

Having said that, we have the "nice" thing going for us, which is good. Quite frankly, we're only nice because we've have been trapped indoors for six excruciating months, and by the time we get to come out of hibernation, we're just happy to see other survivors.

I'm being a bit extreme, I know. Other Minnesotans will disagree, and that's fine. It's just my opinion, so they can shut their pieholes.

I've dreamed of moving to a better place, a utopia of sorts ... a place like Marin County. Where the grass is green and the mosquitoes are dead. Jay has put together this lovely site called, alivemarin.com, that has provided a snapshot of what life could be like outside the State of Minnesota penitentiary walls. Zip-it Minnesotans.

His plan is to eventually broaden the franchise to include other places like Orange County, Chicago, New York, etc. That way I can just live vicariously through the pages of his sites. Ahhhh, even the thought brings a smile to my face.

In the meantime though, Jay has asked us to develop an identity that spoke not just to Marin County, but one that could be carried over to the places to come. We focused on a color scheme and element design that helped to communicate the message of being alive. A fun design with the colors of life.

So hop on over to alivemarin.com and check it out. Then, jump back on Twitter and Facebook and tell us when you're moving. I'll pack my Paddington Bear suitcase and meet you there.

Toodaloo

PDM Shift

Ladies and gentleman, boys and girls ... it's time to spit out your pacifiers, take off your khakis and turn off "Dancing With The Stars", because we have a special treat for ya.

Today isn't the day to wear your Sunday's best. Today isn't the day for you to call your mommy. Today isn't the day for the faint of heart (seriously, if you have a heart condition, maybe you should doing something else).

Call your work and tell 'em you're sick. Text your spouse and tell 'em you won't be home for supper. Tweet your tweoples and tell 'em you won't be tweeting. Set your email auto-responders to "out of the office" (you don't want to get fired). Get your BIC iPhone apps ready, BECAUSE ... coming to the stage (or blog I guess) is none other than ... the legends of Jacksonville ... the one, the only — PDM Shift. HAAAAAAAA! The crowd (or site visitors) goes wild!!!!

Just wanted to give you guys a little taste of what it's like to live the life of Justice and his band mates. I mean, c'mon, wouldn't that just kick ass? But, if you're born with a rock star name like Justice, you really have no other choice but to rock. Right?

I know that you want a link to the tunes, so do we. The truth of the matter is, PDM Shift has been on a long hiatus and is in the process of reforming. But I can tell you this: PDM Shift is a progressive hard rock band that has a sound similar to what you might hear from Dream Theater or Tool. ROCK ON!

Wouldn't you know it, they've asked IDesignYourLogo.com to set the stage for them by designing their logo. We're kind of like groupies with Macs. Because Tony is a musician himself, he was eager to jump on the bandwagon (couldn't help myself there).

We developed their logo with a custom, stylized font to give the band a unique look that screamed hard rock. For the extra kick, we incorporated a subtle red element that can be used to define their identity independent of their name.

Hook up with us on Twitter and we'll feed you some more info on these monsters of music. In the meantime, keep on rockin' people. Keep on rockin'.

lnnl (those are devil horns)

Service 365

Let me get serious with you for a minute. I know, I know ... when I make poop references and butt pinching suggestions, it's tough to take anything I say serious, right? Just bare with me for a moment and I promise I'll get back to my crassitude.

Nothing, I repeat, NOTHING breaks my heart more than the thought of a child suffering. Suffering from neglect, abuse, illness ... whatever. Children don't deserve it — ever. In my opinion, those who harm a child deserve nothing less than a lifetime in prison — no exceptions, no parole, no T.V., no internet ... nothing. The should stare at four blank concrete walls for the rest of their life and just think about what they've done.

Alright, I'm done now. It felt good to get that out.

Now, I didn't tell you that for shits and giggles, and I didn't tell you that because I'm ready to go all vigilante like Charles Bronson in Death Wish. No, the reason I got on my soapbox was to explain how I intend on using what Stephen is putting together with Service 365.

You see, I'm always on the look-out for great causes and/or organizations that support children in need. The truth is, with three kids of my own and a 365-day logo business, it's difficult to find the time to jump into something new without fulling understanding what's involved. That's where Stephen is going to come in really, really handy.

Amongst other things, Service 365 is going to provide a snapshot of what organizations do and help people like me, better understand exactly what I should expect when I choose to get involved. That's going to save me a butt-load of up-front effort, providing me more time to volunteer.

I happen to personally think that this business idea is pretty frickin' awesome. But, then again, Stephen's pretty awesome, so I should have expected it. He's so awesome in fact, if you happen to run into him at a charity event, McDonald's or a WalMart restroom, grab him by the ears and pull him in for a big wet one right on the smackers. Crassness is slowly coming back.

The logo embodies what Stephen was going for. A professional image with a color bold enough to attract the eye (BTW, Orange is his life color). We used the circle image to represent the amiable nature of his organization.

Now that you know Stephen and Service 365, it's time to get involved. Start by becoming a fan and a follower. Trust me, Stephen will not disappoint.

P.S. Remember, if you see someone harming a child, punch him in the nads. And, if it's a lady ... I'll leave that up to you.

Later mater (I'm not sure why)

Ahab's Adventures

I hate flying. There, I said it. It's not the pilots' fault, it's me. I have a hard time coming to grips with the fact that something that big (and heavy) is anywhere but on the ground. And, the tight quarters don't help either. So, needless to say, I fly only when I have to.

My distaste for the panicky-skies also means that my travels are kept to a minimum. And, having three kids, three and under doesn't help either. That said, I love adventure. In fact, if I had the choice to be either Bill Gates or Indiana Jones, I'd pick Jones in a New York minute.

But now I've met Ahab. He just might very well change the way I look at traveling. He's motivated my human spirit. He and Geeg have challenged me to; turn a stranger into a friend, do something that I've always wanted to do, volunteer, and finally ... be a bit greener. Like I mentioned before, Ahab is like a little mini Anthony Robbins, but without the annoying voice and chiseled cheek bones.

If I haven't quite described Ahab for you yet, you'll need to go and check him out for yourself. He's a short little little fella with an adorable outfit. According to Geeg, he's a wannbe pirate trapped in a fisherman's jacket. How's that for cuteness? He's also an adventurous guy, always looking for his next challenge. Again, go to the site an check him out for yourself.

The directions for Ahab's logo were clear, they were looking for a skull and cross-bones design with an Ahab touch. And, you know us, we aim to please. They want a skull for Ahab, a skull for Ahab they shall receive.

Now that you've seen the logo and read the background, go check out their site and spend sometime fishing around their pages (get it? Ahab. Fisherman jacket. Fishing.). You'll sure to find a cute little guy with a big message.

Ahoy Mates.

Cratefuls

Well folks, week one is almost in the books, and what a week it has been. It's hard to believe that we only have 51 weeks to go before the end of our pretend (Mar - Feb) year. Actually, who am I kidding, it's not hard to believe, we literally look at our calendar several times a day, in fact, we're hyper aware of how much time is left. Anyway, now I'm just rambling.

So, we were fortunate enough to mark our first day with an actual "Mark" and now we are going to wrap up our first week with a bow. Are you kidding? Seriously, it's almost as if we've had this planned since the beginning. But, we didn't plan it this way, it just fell into our lap all perfect and such.

The bow that we're wrapping up week one with is none other than the lovely Erin Waterton and her company, Cratefuls. As Cratefuls is just launching, all you'll find on the website at the moment is a splash page. But, with its new logo already in place, it's a fantastic looking splash page. Rest assured, the full site is under development and should be up soon.

In the meantime, let me (or, Erin) tell you a bit more about this very cool business concept. As Erin puts it, "the idea behind Cratefuls is to offer people the option to fully customize their Crates with high quality items."

I'll just throw in a little idea here. When she told us about the business, I instantly thought that it might be a good idea for someone to send Tony, Jason and I an Apple Crateful. As in Apple computers, not Granny Smith. It could packed with iPods, Laptops and maybe a few iPads. I dunno, it's just an idea. All I'm saying is, just think about it.

Alright, back to Erin and her fantabulous business. Cratefuls is much more than "Thank You" or "Happy Holidays" themed gift basket service (although it does that as well). Erin's goal is to specialize in non-traditional occasions such as; break-up survival crates, surviving your wedding day crates, surviving motherhood crates and the list goes on. In fact, you can pretty much invent your own "survival crate" to be custom-tailored to your liking.

In fact, while wondering how we were managing to design logos day in and day out, Erin had offered us a Red Bull Rescue kit. We were very grateful (Get it? Grateful - Crateful.) for her offer. It also helped us better understand the type of non-traditional (sleep deprivation survival kit) packages she puts together.

So, keep your eyes open for the official launch of  cratefuls.com and order a Crate for ... well, anyone.

Week one out, see week two.

February 28

February 27

February 26

Idea Heroes

Ok, so maybe this is a bit self-indulgent, but we're doing it anyway. Idea Heroes is also us and we like us, so we're going to force it on you to like us to. When we aren't designing logos, we're coming up with big grandiose marketing ideas. There you have it.

I Wear Your Shirt

Our partner in crime, Jason Sadler, completes us ... literally. He's our third partner and more importantly the brains behind the pricing model. If he hasn't worn your shirt yet, it's about damn time he does.

Elite CSS

What can we say, if it weren't for Elite CSS, IDesignYourLogo.com, would just be IDesignYourLogo without the dot and com. Their services come highly recommended — by us of course.

February 25

February 24